Hotel Jama Postojna, place with secret rooms

The Hotel Jama is one of the most interesting hotels in Slovenia.

It is a perfect choice to stay overnight if you are visiting the Postojna Cave, the largest tourist cave in Europe, and Predjama Castle.

By the way, the hotel got its name after the cave (jama), because it is located literally next to the entrance to the Postojna Cave.

 

 

🏨 A few words about the history of the Hotel Jama

The hotel Jama was opened in 1971, at a time when the number of visitors to the Postojna Cave was rapidly growing. It was a good idea to have an accommodation next to this famous attraction.

 

The hotel was designed in a typical socialist architectural style by architect Tihomir Stepanov, and quickly, it became one of the best hotels in the region.

 

From its opening, it has attracted visitors from all over the world. Many celebrities have stayed at the hotel, such as members of royal families, state officials, politicians, artists, and Hollywood stars. Some of them you can see in the photos on the atrium’s wall at the hotel.

Also, the former president of the SFRY, Josip Broz Tito, visited it with his wife, Jovanka, and hosted the Iranian Shah, Reza Pahlavi and his wife, Farah Diba, in 1973.

 

After the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, Slovenia gained its independence, but the number of visitors to the cave drastically dropped. The hotel, owned by the state, fell into disrepair slowly. It was closed in 2009 and remained that way for years.

Then, in 2016, it was taken over by a new owner, Marjan Batagelj, who completely renovated it into a four-star design hotel. It was reopened in 2020 and quickly became one of the best hotels in Slovenia.

 

After the renovation, various business conferences and events are organised in the modern halls.

 

Rooms 

The rooms are furnished in modern style and offer relaxation after a day spent exploring.

The hotel offers 156 spacious twin or double rooms, with views of the park or the forest.

All rooms feature air conditioning, a private bathroom, an LCD TV, and wireless internet. You can choose between double and twin rooms, as well as Superior rooms. Also, most rooms have the option of an extra bed, which is convenient for families with children.

The entire tourist complex is wheelchair accessible.

 

The view from the terrace is absolutely amazing  🤩

 

 

 

🍽️ 🍷Gastronomy 

Start the day with an excellent breakfast prepared from local ingredients in the Magic Garden restaurant (Čarobni vrt). Breakfast is served daily from 7 AM to 10 AM.

 

Spice up your day with delicious culinary specialities À la carte 🤩

 

The food is very delicious, paired with excellent Slovenian wines from the region of Kras and Vipavske doline.

 

 

Besides the “Magical Garden” restaurant, there are several restaurants next to the hotel and the entrance to the Postojna Cave.

♦ Magdalena Food & Fun: modern street food, such as gourmet burgers, craft beers, and house-made iced teas. The most popular dish on the menu is the Cave Burger.
◊ The Briljant self-service restaurant: lunch meals and various popular international dishes, Wiener schnitzel with French fries, pasta, meat dishes, fish and salads.
♦ The Modrijan Homestead with a mill is located right next to the Pivka River. It offers the Slovenian dishes, such as Carniolan sausages (Krainerwurst), žlikrofi dumplings, jota-sauerkraut stew, cold cuts, a typical Slovenian dessert, the gibanica layer cake and cream-and-custard cake, as well as grilled dishes (čevapčiči, ribs and suckling pig).
◊ The Jamski Dvorec mansion served traditional dishes combined with modern gastronomic trends.
♦ La Piazza Proteus is located in the heart of the main square of Postojna, in a traditional old building, a few minutes’ walk from the Postojna Pit. Here you can enjoy handmade pasta, Italian wines, cocktails and desserts.

 

💡 The Secret “Double Life” of the hotel 

The hotel does not have a spa & wellness centre, but it has something much more interesting.

In 2016, during the renovation, secret rooms were found accidentally in the basement of the hotel. Among the hidden walls, a former communication and monitoring centre from the era of socialist Yugoslavia was found, which today has been transformed into a unique tourist attraction.

 

Through four reconstructed rooms, accompanied by a guide or independently with an audio guide, visitors go back in time by listening to part of the original wiretapping recordings of the former State Security Service.

 

We felt like we were in a spy movie, expecting someone to suddenly appear!

Original equipment, typewriters, wooden furniture, empty boxes, and drilled holes in the walls are silent witnesses of a bygone era.

 

Unusual hotel activities and double life took place in the former Yugoslavia until 1991.
But who exactly stayed there, why, and what happened inside these walls arouses the imagination of visitors.
And, probably, we will never get the right answer to many questions.

Officially, none of the employees knew about the secret rooms, and it is the same today. There are numerous theories and interpretations as to why it was located exactly at this hotel. Maybe becaouse it is close to the significant military area, but… who knows.

Because nothing is as it seems… It’s all true. It’s all a lie. And somebody is watching you 🤩

 

💡Useful information for the Secret rooms

♦ Guided tours are available in Slovenian and English, and audioguides are also available in German and Italian.
◊ The group is limited to 6 people, and it lasts about one and a half hours. It is suitable for adults and children over 15 years old.

♦ The ticket for the tour with an audioguide costs 16 EUR for adults, and 30 EUR for the guided tour.
You can purchase tickets at the reception, and hotel guests pay a reduced price of 50%.

◊ For a complete experience, an additional option is the tour with a Yugoslav dinner: burek, yoghurt, kebabs and brandy, served at the restaurant Magical Garden at the hotel. It costs 50 EUR per person.

♦ The guided tour should be reserved in advance at least two days before the planned visit.

 

📌 Hotel Jama

Hotel Jama is one of those places where you eat well, sleep like a baby, and have a fantastic experience visiting the Postojna Cave.

Thanks to its excellent location, the hotel is a good base for one-day trips to Ljubljana, Bled Lake, the charming towns on the Slovenian coast, Trieste or Venice.

Before you come back home, take a look at the souvenir shops around the hotel and find something interesting for your beloved and for yourself: handmade local products, ceramics, wines, food, natural cosmetics, handicrafts, etc.

 

And I am sure that the Postojna Cave and the secret rooms at the hotel Jama will be one of your unforgettable memories.

 

📍 Stay tuned for the new story: the stunning Predjama Castle, built in the 12th century, carved in the stone…